How To Get Rid of a Stye Fast

My name is Daniel, and (seeing as you found this page) maybe you eyelids are afflicted with a stye and you're looking for a way to get rid of it quickly and permanently.

Although I'm not a doctor, I am the victim of regular and unforgiving styes for nearly a decade during my twenties and have tried and tested a large number of supposed cures and techniques. What I am about to share is my own opinion on what works and what doesn't when trying to get rid of a stye.

Before I begin, I'd just like to say that most eye styes are self-healing (i.e. they will heal on their own within 7 to 10 days without any intervention). In rarer cases they will last for 2-3 weeks but will eventually get better on their own.

Fast Track The Healing ProcessWhen combating a stye, the technique that I found produced by far the best results was the warm compress.

This is simply a clean soft towel or flannel soaked in hot water and held against the offending stye for about 3 or 4 minutes. This process is repeated four times a day.

This technique can cure a stye with 2 days (and sometimes even faster).

You can use hot water from the faucet in your bathroom (it's not necessary to use boiling water), although it is prudent to make sure the water isn't so hot that it scalds your skin. You should also wring the flannel or towel before applying it to you eye to release any excess water.

The compress should be held firmly against (but not so much that it hurts) with the heel of the hand as shown in the picture below:

For Particularly Stubborn StyesIf the stye hasn't healed within a week or so, you may want to try plucking the eyelash closest to the stye with a pair of tweezers.

Of course, this only works for styes that have infected an eyelash follicle - some styes affect other areas of the eyelid away from the eyelash follicles.

Medical TreatmentIf you've had a stye for a few weeks and it doesn't seem to be healing, you should consult your doctor for further advice.

After consultation with you, the doctor may suggest antibiotic therapy or surgery (in most cases, antibiotics will be recommended before surgery).

Antibiotics can either be a cream to rub on the stye or a medicine that is taken orally.

The surgery is a quick routine procedure that is performed by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) under local anaesthetic. The only discomfort is felt when the anaesthetic is injected into the eyelid. It is very uncommon for this procedure to leave any kind of permanent visible scarring.

SummaryThe warm compress will get rid of a stye within a day or two (or even overnight) in the vast majority cases.

For stubborn styes that don't seem to want to disappear, treatment using the plucking method as described above or antibiotics or surgery from your doctor should be used.

About Me

Daniel

Hi,

My name's Daniel and, as an ex-stye-sufferer (for over eight years) I created this blog to share some of the tips and techniques I used to get rid of styes, prevent them from developing and soothe the pain.

The most important information about getting rid of a stye can be found on this page.

If my blog has helped you with your own styes, please leave me a comment so that I know this website has been of use to you :)